trick or treat

today was the halloween carnival at the boys' school. fun but a lot of work. andrew had his first costume parade. he is perfect as anakin skywalker.
as room mom i, along with 3 other moms, were in charge of creating a booth sponsored by our class. we came up with the concept and parents donated items. one big job but it was a hit. kids bobbed for apples and tried to eat donuts that were hanging on a string without using their hands, thus our booth name, "dunk - n - donuts". everyone loved it. i don't think i want to see another powered donut again!

trick or treating at my parent's house tonight. really tired, but excited to go out with the kids. hopefully i'll get a good photo of all three kids together and will post if i do.

happy halloween!!

crazy time

going on day five of having the kids home. friday and monday were planned days off due to parent teacher conferences. but today school was cancelled due to high winds, the fires and intermittent power outages. scary. i'm glad that they are home with me because the wind is cranking and when you step outside you can smell the smoke. the closest fire to us is the stevenson's ranch one. not TOO close, but close enough. i think what is more of a threat for us right now are these winds that make the whole house creak and shake. i love october but this strange weather is very unpleasant.

friday i took the boys, and myself, to get flu shots. and of course on the car ride home andrew starts sniffling and not feeling so well. now sofia has it too. she is scheduled for her shot on thursday at her 2 yr. check up


here are a few pics from our disney trick or treat night. had so much fun getting candy, going on tower of terror with becky, and watching jordan and sofia dance and dance and dance. at that point andrew was so sick he was asleep.

then we had a little birthday party for sofia and jeff on saturday.


sunday we had no power, which was actually kind of fun. no tv, no clocks or computers. just hanging out playing baseball in the backyard, reading. we did go to my parents house for dinner and a card game. by the time we got home the power was back on. i was kind of looking forward to lighting candles and enjoying the peace.

these conditions are kind of scary. trying not to read too much into it. but hoping that it goes away just as quickly as it came. melissa - are you guys home? stay safe everyone. love the b's

set back

wow. what a weekend. we've had three full days of running around with the kids. i am so tired. i thought the weekends were about relaxing. friday after picking up the kids from school and going to swim class, we went to the miniature golf park for a birthday party. i was hesitant to go with all three kids and no other helpers but i want andrew to have a chance to make friends and i should be social with their mom's right? not really. the kids were running all over the place. did you know you can sweat playing miniature golf? well if you are running around chasing boys and a 2 year old, you sweat. the kids enjoyed it but it was too much for me. by 6:30 pm when i was finally driving home i had had it.

saturday bobby took the boys to t-ball practice and then to a carnival at a friends school. i stayed home with sofia and started making vests for jordan's class performance. a columbus day play. we have to make vests for 24 children. then it was church and dinner at our favorite mexican place.

yesterday was a swim day. so we were up early and at the pool by 8am. jord had three events again but it was not his day. he finished 6th overall in the backstroke, yah!! but when it came to freestyle they moved him up a level based on his last meet and he didn't fare so well. not sure if he was tired, full from breakfast or just not into it that morning. we would love to see improvement every time he swims but i guess you don't always get that.

andrew's t-ball team tried hitting the ball as it was pitched to them by the coach. very funny to see and the kids did amazingly well. andrew got a hit. but to see him as the catcher again, and again he dropped the ball. then as pitcher and he doesn't run after the ball, i wonder if maybe they are just not aggressive enough for these sports. i think they may be missing the competitive gene. when it was over and we were ready to go home, sofia injured her arm. we've seen this happen before. becky remember the wild animal park incident? anyway she cried a lot and because it has happened before, we decided to take her to the emergency room. by the time we got there she was fine and we felt kind of silly for being there. but we had her checked out anyway. well, she has nursemaid's elbow. and that basically means that her bones are weak at the elbow and they can easily be moved out of place. the doctor showed us how to pop it back and that was it. no x-ray, no casts or splints, not even a bandaid. just a tutorial on how to set her arm back. well that and $100 co-pay for emergency room attention.

now it's monday morning and it feels like we never had a break. even jordan commented on how sundays are supposed to be lazy and relaxed. well, i don't think we ever really had those days even before sports and injuries.

A Word From the Other Side

Bobby here, just chiming in to share a slice o' life from my point-of-view. Here's the prayer I used to tuck in the boys tonight...

*****************************

Dear Lord in Heaven,
Thank you for our house, our family, and our happy life. But please use your almighty power to smite down this temple of irrational consumerism. The worshipers of the false idol TARGET have built a new altar dedicated to schlepping low-grade middle-class stuff of questionble necessity. They have turned away from your wisdom, o' Lord. Will they find salvation in trendy logo tees, towel racks, linens and bedding adorned with popular cartoon characters, and other disposable household goods? Will a caramel macchiatto quench a thirsty soul? The mere mention of Balboa & San Fernando sends my lovely wife in a drooling, cash-fueled blood frenzy. Please do something - time, and money - is running out.

Your frugal disciples,
Bobby, the boys, and the family checkbook

PS: if you do pencil-in a smiting, please forgive the Xbox aisle. Salvation is always found in mashing buttons...

FINALLY!!!!

we waited all summer. we watched it grow from a pile of dirt into this incredible site . we have dreamed and planned and waited. and now is the time . . .our Target is open. OK, maybe not exciting for some but we, i mean i am just giddy. since we moved into this neighborhood this target has been so convenient to have. so when they closed it down for remodeling i was bummed.

we got to witness the entire process. from demolition to reconstruction. the boys loved watching all of the pieces come together. the big dump trucks and bulldozers and sky high cranes. the walls going up, the parking structure being built, paint, roof, landscaping. it was a fun thing to see. but for me it's the convenience of having it right down the street. when you have 15 things to get and 13 of them you can get from target you would be happy too.

so sofia and i went there today. it officially opens on sunday, but they secretly opened it yesterday. my list consisted of toothpaste, a birthday gift for a friend of Andrew's, mayonnaise, juice boxes, cereal, and sweats for Jordan. i got all that while sipping my caramel macchiato from the starbucks inside of target, i know. and if i needed diapers, they would be there, a t-shirt, there, windex, yup, sheets, you guessed it. they even carry milk, bread and hamster food. ok we don't have a hamster but if we needed it, it would be there. this place truly was made for mom's like me who don't want to spend ALL morning taking their kids (sofia) in and out of the car as they run from errand to errand.

and i must add that this new and improved target is huge, clean and fully stocked. it even has an escalaltor that will take your shopping cart down. i know it won't stay this way for long, especially with the holiday's coming. there will be crowds, yes there will be a time when i can't find what i need, there will be traffic and carts that don't move and grumpy people, but let me enjoy this moment while i can. it's the little things in life that matter.

and here's a picture of sofia enjoying what she got from target; a princess doll and a new sweatsuit.

thanks gigi and great grandpa for the birthday gift card.

hope your day is filled with happy little moments like these.

she's two

and i can't believe it. what happened to the little baby? where are the bottles and pacifiers and blankets. i don't even carry a diaper bag anymore. she plays with dolls and can carry on a conversation with anyone. she sings songs from high school musical 2 and dresses like a big girl. she has an attitude and stands her ground. what happened to the little baby that i held in my arms two years ago and cried with joy to hold my little girl for the first time. her sweet smile and adorable personality bring sunshine to my life and my heart. we had a "small" but loving celebration. all of her grandparents were with her, aunts, uncles and cousins and even some friends. she was so exicted when we sang happy birthday to her. her smile was wide and beaming. and finally there are dishes and dollhouses and more girl clothes in the house. what fun she and i will have. (the boys secretly enjoy having it in the house too). i think that now i will just watch her grow and discover. she has exceeded every expecation that i had. i can only imagine what surprises we are in for. thanks to everyone for helping us celebrate her birthday and looking forward to celebrating with others in the weeks to come.

please wait

the kids are watching a disney christmas video, i just ordered an advent calendar from pottery barn kids and there is a christmas catalog on the kitchen table. i'm not ready for this . . .

proud mama

sorry, but i have to . . .jordan had a swim meet last sunday. we were there with lots of anxiety but hopeful that he would do well. he swam in three events; backstroke, freestyle and anchor for the relay. they had different heats based on the child's times from the previous meet. there was some confusion with the backstroke event. jordan didn't swim in his heat because they put him in the wrong spot. and yes i was furious, but when he swam he did pretty good. he placed 5th overall for his age group. then they did the freestyle and he won his heat!! he got a ribbon for that. on tuesday at practice they pass out medals and ribbons for overall winners. jordan got third place overall for freestyle!! so they gave him two medals, one for 3rd place and one for 5th place. he was so happy and i am so proud. when he talked to bobby about it at dinner, bobby said, "see, you didn't like it at first but now look at what you have accomplished." to which jordan said, "well i still don't really like it but i'm glad i did it." that's how it goes around here.


after the meet we went to this really cool park here in granada hills for the y-guides nation event. jordan and bobby have been a part of this YMCA father-son program since he was in pre-school. this year andrew got to join in the fun. they have monthly meetings, trips to the big bear and catalina and events like this family picnic. i wish i had my camera handy to capture the moment when all of the dads had to play leap frog. it was a sight to see. we brought a picnic, played games and had fun with the other families. someday sofia will be a part of this group too. they call it y-princesses. looking forward to that.